Careers Advice

Minutes from HMRC’s latest IR35 forum indicate that similar reform could hit the private sector soon. This could be a worry to a good number of law firms who regularly use locums. Our own thoughts on it are that provided the contractual position is clear and the locum is a senior lawyer who is able…

I write this article from a personal perspective and it is an expression of opinion only. I often get asked by candidates if they think firms discriminate against them and this article is about our experiences of behaviour that is both overt and implied. Discrimination against Law Firms Law firms often think that as recruiters…

Rates are now at their lowest levels, but will start to go up as we get into Spring. Bookings for the summer are at summer rates. Up to £35 per hour in Conveyancing is still the norm for most locums, although the current competitive level for longer term assignments are £30. January 2018 Locum Rates…

Summary January 2018 has been the busiest January on record for us since we started 18 years ago. All sectors have been busy – locum and permanent, qualified and non-qualified. There has been a surge in demand for solicitors in all areas of law, although we have heard from partners at London firms reporting that…

Questions sent to us via our Chat service online, together with general career questions emailed across. We do our best to answer all queries, sometimes after a fairly lengthy delay if we are busy! Q: I am a New Zealand qualified solicitor looking for paralegal opportunities with an immediate start. Can you assist? A: No…

Out of 5 job interviews arranged for paralegals and junior fee earners, we estimate that 1 candidate will not turn up. For solicitors and legal executives we think the figure is closer to 1 in 20. Why? Here are our top reasons. 1. It is much easier to apply for a job than it is…

We have recently introduced a candidate to an employer where a restrictive covenant was used which must surely fall foul of rather a lot of employment regulations! The role is a fairly junior fee earner position and not senior management or director level. The restrictive covenant was actually called a “non-compete clause” and included the…

Rates have now decreased slightly as we get closer to Christmas – we expect them to go down further still. Up to £35 per hour in Conveyancing is still the norm for most locums, although a good proportion are dropping to £28-32 per hour to get the assignments. November 2017 Locum Rates : Residential Conveyancing…

Legal Job Market Report Summary November has been a quiet month again, but this is fairly normal as we approach Christmas. We will be writing the same thing for December! Locum assignments have actually picked up a bit, which is unusual, but permanent roles remain down. The increase in conveyancing candidates last month has now…

Rates have now decreased slightly as we get closer to Christmas – we expect them to go down further still. Up to £35 per hour in Conveyancing is still the norm for most locums, although a good proportion are dropping to £28-32 per hour to get the assignments. November 2017 Locum Rates : Residential Conveyancing…

Q: I wonder if you have any advice or comment on the following. a sole practitioner has been asked by a lender panel to give details of a locum who the principal would have on call if the worst happened and the firm was left without a solicitor at short notice. Do you have any…

A recent law graduate has asked an extremely pertinent question regarding future career plans: “In your professional opinion, how much do sole practitioners (on the high street working in family/conveyancing) tend to make annually? Also more generally, would you say, despite the over supply of law graduates and the SRA’s soon to be new route…

Summary October has been a quiet month again, which is fairly normal but the legal job market seems very subdued at the moment. We are active in both legal & accountancy recruitment and accountancy is currently booming so quite a contrast! Locum assignments have dropped (as is usual for this time of year) and permanent…

Ask a Recruitment Consultant – questions this month on our chat bot Questions sent to us via our Chat service online, together with general career questions emailed across. We do our best to answer all queries, sometimes after a fairly lengthy delay if we are busy! Q: I graduated from university with a 1st class…

The Legal Profession, Flexible Hours and Working from Home Many years ago, when I started out in law, flexible hours were something women benefited from when they had given birth and returned to work for a few years. Otherwise hours were strictly 9am to 5pm with an hour for lunch. These days however law firms…

Job Offers and the Dangled Carrot of Partnership Dangling the carrot of a partnership when being offered a job or at an annual review is either because: 1. The firm genuinely like you, are genuinely nice and genuinely see a long term future for you at the practice. Partnership is a good way of cementing…

Hourly Rates of Pay for Locum Solicitors and Legal Executives Rates have now decreased slightly as we get closer to Christmas – we expect them to go down further still. Up to £35 per hour in Conveyancing is still the norm for most locums, although a good proportion are dropping to £30-32 per hour to…

Legal Job Market Report Key points from 2nd September to 4th October 2017 are as follows: ▪ Permanent recruitment has increased. ▪ Locum recruitment has decreased. Hourly rates have decreased in line with the seasonal norm. ▪ Commercial and In House roles have picked up. ▪ Wills and Probate is quieter but locum and permanent…

Ask a Recruitment Consultant – questions this month on our chat bot Questions sent to us via our new Chat service online, together with general career questions emailed across. We do our best to answer all queries, sometimes after a fairly lengthy delay if we are busy! Hello – can you find me a job?…

1. Review your CV. If an agent has sent it, ask them for a copy. We amend CVs nearly every time we send one out – mainly to remove any waffly bits or to present them in a better light. Get a copy, read it carefully. Remind yourself of anything you may have written 10…

Hourly Rates of Pay for Locum Solicitors and Legal Executives Although conveyancing rates increased over the last four weeks, we will now see a drop in hourly rates as we get closer to Christmas. September tends to remain fairly high as demand has traditionally still been strong. £35 per hour in Conveyancing is still the…

Key points from 13th July to 6th September 2017 are as follows: ▪ Permanent recruitment has decreased. ▪ Locum recruitment has increased. Hourly rates have increased over the summer but will now decline. ▪ Commercial and In House roles have picked up. ▪ Wills and Probate is quieter but locum and permanent candidates remain very…

Ask a Recruitment Consultant – questions this month on our chat bot Questions sent to us via our new Chat service online, together with general career questions emailed across. We do our best to answer all queries, sometimes after a fairly lengthy delay if we are busy! Our New Chatbot Hi. My Australian degree has…

Thinking of Retraining in Wills & Probate after years out of the profession and coming from a Commercial background. Is it possible? We have recently received a request for advice from a solicitor coming from a Legal 500 commercial background and after over 10 years out now seeking to return to the profession but not…

July 2017 – Hourly Rates Update for Legal Locums in the UK Conveyancing rates have shot up over the last four weeks, as we enter the busy period. Conveyancing locums looking at £35 an hour and above are now finding firms giving them the go ahead, whereas a few months ago they would have been…

Legal Job Market Report Key points from 7th June to 12th July 2017 are as follows: ▪ Permanent recruitment has increased. ▪ Locum recruitment has drastically increased. Hourly rates have inevitably increased! ▪ Commercial and In House roles are picking up slightly. ▪ Wills and Probate is quieter but locum and…

Ask a Recruitment Consultant – questions this month on our chat bot Questions sent to us via our new Chat service online, together with general career questions emailed across. We do our best to answer all queries, sometimes after a fairly lengthy delay if we are busy! Do you think it is still worth becoming…

Candidate Shortages in Wills & Probate and Conveyancing – myths and legends As I write this brief article, I can reflect that I could probably have written the same article in any year between 2011 and 2017. In fact if you are reading this in 20 years’ time, and Donald Trump hasn’t ended the world…

Hourly Rates of Pay for Locum Solicitors and Legal Executives Conveyancing rates have crept up a bit over the last four weeks, as we enter the busy period, but they are still low. Conveyancing locums looking for £35 an hour and above will find higher levels of competition still exist with experienced conveyancers still available…

The demand for staff generally has stayed the same. Permanent recruitment has decreased. Locum recruitment has decreased. Hourly rates are starting to increase in line with seasonal variations. Commercial and In House roles are picking up slightly. Wills and Probate is quieter but locum and permanent candidates remain very much in demand. Conveyancing is quieter…